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Ford Territory

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Ford Territory

Bright Wins The Desert 400 - Ford Wins The 2006 V8 Supercar Manufacturers Championship Title

Staff, Monday November 27, 2006.

Page 1 of 1

CAT Ford Performance Racing’s Jason Bright has won the inaugural Desert 400 V8 Supercar round in Bahrain.

Bright took victory in race #1 on Friday, and then backed that up with second place in races #2 and #3 on Saturday to score his second round win of the season.

The result gave Ford seven round wins for the season and its second-straight V8 Supercar Manufacturers’ title.

The Bahrain round was also a solid weekend for Craig Lowndes (Team Betta Electrical) who now trails Rick Kelly by just seven-points going into the final event at Phillip Island.

Bright enjoyed a superb weekend on the track, qualifying second and combining superb car speed with meticulous pit stops by the FPR crew to ensure that he was always amongst the leaders.

The Bahrain victory was Bright’s eighth of his career.

The battle appeared set to be between Bright and Tander going into the final race. However, Tander’s car jumped forward just before the green light at the start and was given a drive-through penalty. Although Todd Kelly was able to pass Bright, his second place was more than enough to take the round win.

“It has been a great battle all weekend,” said Bright.

“From qualifying, to the top ten shoot-out, trading wins with Garth Tander in the first two races and to battle so hard and close with Todd Kelly in the third race.

“It is a very good feeling to be the Ford driver who has sealed the manufacturers’ title for the blue oval and to be the inaugural Desert 400 winner.

“The team did an incredible job with our pit stops, highlighted by the 2.9 second stop in race #1. Our pit stops have been great all year and this was integral to our result today.”

For Craig Lowndes Bahrain marked an important turnaround. After winning Bathurst in early October, Lowndes appeared set to take the Driver’s title. However, struggles at the Gold Coast and Tasmania had him trailing Rick Kelly in the standings.

Even after the opening race in Bahrain it appeared Lowndes’ title hopes were fading when he was 90-points behind in the standings. However, a collision between Kelly and James Courtney (JELD-WEN Motorsport) at the start of race#2 placed the Holden driver in 28th position.

The final round results of Lowndes in fourth overall and Kelly in 10th has the championship set for a fantastic final round at Phillip Island

“We’re delighted with the result here today – it puts us right back in the championship mix,” Lowndes said.

“We had good cars at Phillip Island last year so it’s going to be an exciting finish, probably no different to Bathurst where we had a good battle right to the end.

“Rick has a strong car; we believe we can win so we’ll see what happens. There is going to be a lot of pressure on him knowing that Holden hasn’t won it (the Championship) for four years and it will all down to him.”

No one was more pleased with the results in Bahrain than Ford Australia President Tom Gorman.

“A terrific result all round for Ford,” said Tom Gorman.

“The Manufacturers’ title is something that everyone involved with Ford including our employees, dealers and all the Ford V8 teams can feel proud of.

“Winning it back-to-back is a great feeling.

“It’s going to be a great final round at Phillip Island. We have one trophy decided, but we are very keen to see Craig come though and get the driver’s title. That would cap-off a very special year for the Ford Racing program.”

The round in Bahrain had highs and lows for other drivers, as many struggled to string three solid races together.

James Courtney finished ninth overall, but it could have been a lot higher if not for his collision with Rick Kelly in race #2. Mark Winterbottom looked set for a top-five result, but gearbox dramas in the final race saw him placed 11th overall.

It was much the same story for the likes of Jamie Whincup (Team Betta Electrical), Russell Ingall (Caltex Racing), Steven Johnson (First Rock Home Loans Racing) and Will Davison (APVC Racing), who all showed great speed but different incidents robbed them of a strong final round result.

The V8 Supercar Series now heads back home to one of the Series’ favourite circuits at Phillip Island on 8-10 December.

The high-speed track always produces outstanding racing and with the Driver’s title up for grabs it’s sure to be a great weekend of racing.

ROUND RESULTS – DESERT 400 BAHRAIN

1. Jason Bright – CAT Ford Performance Racing – Ford Falcon
2. Todd Kelly – Holden Racing Team – Holden Commodore
3. Garth Tander – Toll HSV – Holden Commodore
4. Craig Lowndes – Team Betta Electrical – Ford Falcon
5. Steven Richards – Jack Daniel’s Racing – Holden Commodore
6. Mark Skaife – Holden Racing Team – Holden Commodore
7. Greg Murphy – Super Cheap Auto Racing – Holden Commodore
8. Cameron McConville – Super Cheap Auto Racing – Holden Commodore
9. James Courtney – JELD-WEN Motorsport – Ford Falcon
10. Rick Kelly – Toll HSV – Holden Commodore

CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER 12 OF 13 ROUNDS

1. Rick Kelly – Toll HSV Dealer Team – Holden Commodore 3068 points
2. Craig Lowndes – Team Betta Electrical – Ford Falcon -7 points
3. Mark Winterbottom – Ford Credit / FPV Ford Performance Racing – Ford Falcon -276 points
4. Garth Tander – Toll HSV Dealer Team – Holden Commodore -359 points
5. Russell Ingall – Caltex Racing – Ford Falcon -456 points
6. Jason Bright – CAT Ford Performance Racing – Ford Falcon -457 points
7. Todd Kelly – Holden Racing Team – Holden Commodore -560 points
8. Steven Richards -Jack Daniel’s Racing – Holden Commodore -587 points
9. Steven Johnson – First Rock Home Loans Racing – Ford Falcon -834 points
10. James Courtney – JELD-WEN Motorsport – Ford Falcon -871pts

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